Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The report issued yesterday was produced by the Vatican following the visitations with the Irish church and seminaries. It is, essentially, a report by the church authorities on the church itself. Therefore, it is not really a matter for the Government to have a view on it in so far as the report is about internal church matters.

I should be clear that the sexual abuse of children - the rape of children - is a crime. It is not a matter of theology and it is not a matter which is exclusively in the domain of a church. That is why this Government has been absolutely clear on this issue and in a statement last September we made it very clear that crimes which have been committed against children are matters that should have been reported to the Garda and authorities, and those who sought to obstruct such reportage were seriously wrong. I hope that arising from the report issued yesterday and other statements, there will never be a question in future of crimes of the kind we have seen and which were dealt with in the Cloyne report and elsewhere not being reported to the Garda and authorities.

As far as the Government is concerned, we are proceeding with the Children First guidelines, the measures announced by the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald and, later this year, with a referendum on children's rights.

See this speech in context